


Watching the Sunrise Replace the Moon

by lucernis



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (no beta reader we die like men), (roman has so many issues the poor thing, (so many pet names), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Deceit Sanders, Other, Pet Names, Prompt Fill, Romantic Gestures, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Worth Issues, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Tumblr Prompt, but only because there’s no way to solve them that doesn’t take insane amounts of time, ending that is far from unhappy but does leave roman’s issues slightly unresolved, i say; giving him even more issues), i’d call it a........, self-depreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23498158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucernis/pseuds/lucernis
Summary: I’ll be taking my time, spending my lifeFalling deeper in love with youIn which Roman tries to give Deceit the world, only to find that they don’t need it.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 19
Kudos: 54





	Watching the Sunrise Replace the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> based on [this prompt](https://sleepless-in-starbucks.tumblr.com/post/614504396582256640) and the tags left by [@sleepless-in-starbucks](https://sleepless-in-starbucks.tumblr.com/) on their reblog of it
> 
> in case you didn’t read the tags, warnings are: self-esteem/self-worth issues, ending where the problem isn’t exactly _resolved,_ per say, (because the problem described in the fic can’t be solved with just one conversation and i am decidedly Not roman’s therapist and don’t feel qualified to completely solve his problem in a way that’s like. Healthy™), so i’d say it’s like. a hopeful ending? definitely not unhappy, just not completely perfect yet.

Deceit deserved the world.

Roman had decided this from the moment he’d fallen in love with them, but his suspicions had been proven ten times over after they’d begun dating. They deserved the world, and Roman’s only wish was to show that to them. 

Or, at the very least, he could somehow express how much they meant to him. It wasn’t the world, but it would have to do.

* * *

“Good morning, _mi luz._ ”

Dee groaned, rubbing their eyes to clear them. “What time is it? And why are you not lying next to me?”

“I made you breakfast, Dee,” Roman said, placing the plate on their nightstand with a smile. “And if you’d like, you can come watch the sunrise with me.”

“Mm, the sunrise is pretty. Almost as pretty as you,” Dee replied, blinking slowly as a smirk spread across their face.

“You’re sweet, but I would have done this even without you lying to me.”

Dee straightened slightly. “My darling, I promise I would _never_ lie to you, especially not about something as indisputable as your beauty which, now that I think about it, is far, far greater than that of any sunrise.”

Caught off guard, Roman blushed. “ _I’m_ supposed to be the one flustering _you_ this morning,” he pouted. 

“Oh, _did_ I fluster you, then?” Dee was sitting up completely now, their blinking and smile turned innocent.

Roman huffed fondly, throwing the nearest item of clothing at Dee—their cape. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“Of course I do, love.”

“Good. Now, get dressed, _mon rêve._ The sunrise waits for no one.”

* * *

“Roman, my darling, my dear, what’s this on the mirror?”

“It’s a heart, and it’s for you, _mon cœur._ ”

“You’re too sweet,” Dee said with a soft laugh, poking their head out of the bathroom to place a quick kiss on Roman’s cheek.

“Only the sweetest for you, _dolcezza._ ”

* * *

“I have a gift for you,” Roman said, bringing a small, velvet box out from behind his back.

Dee peered at him over the pages of their book, one eyebrow raised. “Proposing already?” 

Roman laughed. “Not quite, _mi tesoro._ It’s only been a month, have some patience.”

“Well then, what’s in the box?”

“I’m so glad you asked,” Roman said, walking over to their chair and setting himself lightly on the armrest of it. He opened the box carefully, revealing a necklace glittering in an array of colors with earrings to match. “You complained about a tragic lack of rubies in your life—and jewelry box—the other day, so—”

Dee silenced him with a kiss, pulling back with a soft smile on their face and a sparkle in their eyes. “I didn’t think you’d remember that.”

“Of course I did, Dee.” Roman matched their smile. “I take it you like them?”

“Oh, Roman, I _love_ them, and I _love_ you.” They wrapped their arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss before asking, “Can I try them on?”

“But of course. They are yours, after all,” Roman replied, pulling the necklace out of the box and clipping it around Dee’s neck. He leaned back, admiring them. “Beautiful,” he breathed.

“Me, or the necklace?” Dee teased, a light smirk on their face as they hung the second earring from their ear lobe.

“You. Always you.”

* * *

“Where are we?”

“Still the Imagination, _mi sol._ We haven’t gone anywhere.” 

There was a playful twinkle in Roman’s eye that Dee couldn’t see—what with their own eyes being closed and all—but seemed to be able to hear anyway. They laughed in response, saying, “You know what I mean, you dork.”

“That I did,” Roman said, kissing their cheek. “Just one moment, _vida mía._ You’ll see.”

There was a moment of quiet as Roman fluffed out a picnic blanket and scattered a few light pink cherry blossom petals over it. He snapped his fingers and a picnic basket appeared at one end before he snapped once more to put the finishing touches on their surroundings. “You can open your eyes now, Dee.”

They did so, blinking in the late afternoon sunlight as it reflected off their scales and became entwined in their eyelashes. “Paris?” Dee’s voice came out as an almost reverent whisper, eyes wide in awe as they gazed up at the perfect replica of the Eiffel Tower standing tall and proud across the grounds from them.

“Paris,” Roman confirmed, grinning. “What do you think?”

“Roman, it’s _gorgeous._ I can’t imagine how much time it must have taken you to make this—” they gestured to the green grass, the cherry trees in full bloom, the Eiffel Tower itself, “—so detailed and so vibrant.”

“It was nothing, really,” Roman said sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“You are…” Dee shook their head fondly, barely holding back a laugh. “You are too much, in the best possible way.”

“Why, thank you, _ma fée._ I try my best.”

This time, Dee did laugh. “You were using Spanish nicknames earlier. Was that just to throw me off?”

“Did it work?”

“It would appear so, wouldn’t it?” they said with a smirk, pulling Roman down to the picnic blanket beside them. “What food did you bring? All that waiting stirred up quite the appetite.”

“Only your favorites, of course.”

“Of course, how could I have expected anything but the best from you?”

“How could you have indeed.”

* * *

“Dee?”

“Yes, my darling?”

“Are you free tonight?”

“Why, do you have plans?”

“No, we have plans,” Roman corrected. “As long as you aren’t busy, of course.”

“Hm, I suppose I could spare a night,” they replied, a teasing glimmer in their mismatched eyes. “What’s the occasion?”

“Does there have to be an occasion to celebrate the fact that I’m dating the most wonderful person to have ever graced the earth with their presence?”

“Sssstop,” Dee hissed, covering their face that was currently flaming a brilliant shade of red.

“Never,” Roman said with a triumphant grin, burying a kiss in their hair. “See you in a few hours, _mea columba._ ”

* * *

Roman dropped the last of the rose petals in his hand onto the circular table in the middle of a ballroom that was currently functioning as a romantic, candlelit dining room, letting out a sigh of relief. _There._ Now all he needed to do was wait for Dee to arrive.

He sat himself down in a velvet-covered chair, crossing one leg over the other as he reclined in it, always keeping one eye on the path of rose petals Dee would be sure to follow. 

Sure enough, not a minute later, Roman heard the click of heels on marble approaching. “Roman, I love you dearly, but I do think a castle is a bit excessive as far as places to host dinners go, and— _oh,_ ” they said, voice trailing off into a whisper as they rounded the corner.

 _‘Oh’ was right,_ Roman thought as he stood and made his way over to them, making a conscious effort to stop his jaw from dropping. Deceit looked… perfect. They wore a slinky dress made of deep golden silk, their neck and ears adorned with the ruby jewelry Roman recognized as his own gift to them. Beneath the candlelight, their face sparkled with traces of glittery makeup, and their effortlessly tousled hair made Roman’s heart nearly stop.

He was… so gay.

“You look stunning, _ocelle mi,_ ” he whispered to them, taking their hand in his own and leaving a light kiss on it.

“And you’re not so bad yourself,” Dee replied, their eyes sweeping over Roman’s red and white suit before lingering on his lips. “I like the lipstick,” they smiled coyly, gazing out at them from behind long lashes.

“Dinner,” Roman squeaked in the most dignified manner possible, offering out his arm.

“As you wish, dear heart.”

* * *

After the room had filled with saccharine conversations and laughter and their stomachs had filled with rich food and wine, Roman led Dee away from the table, which vanished into thin air with a wave of his hand. He twirled them once, showing off the newly empty room.

“A ballroom? You’re so romantic.” Dee brought both hands fluttering to their chest in what looked to Roman like a mocking approximation of a swoon.

Roman scoffed lightly. “I’m doing the bare minimum—not even _well._ You don’t have to lie to me, I’m not quite that fragile.”

Frowning, Dee took a step closer. “I’m _not_ lying. I’ve told you, I won’t ever lie to you. You’ve been so sweet to me for as long as I can remember, since the beginning of last month especially. Everything you’ve done is— it’s been perfect, and perfectly romantic.”

“Yes, well… my point still stands,” Roman stated, forcing a smile, hiding his pain. “You deserve more than what I can give you. You deserve the _world._ ”

“I— no. Roman, sweetness, my light, my angel, my prince, I hope you know how incredibly wrong you are. Who you are is more than I could ever ask for, not to mention everything you’ve been so wonderful as give me.”

“But it’s still. Not. Enough. You— you’re _you,_ and I’m _me_ and I don’t know how but I’ve somehow tricked you into thinking that you love me.”

Dee paused, hand suspended in midair where it had been reaching out to comfort Roman. “Darling, you don’t truly believe that, do you?”

“I—”

“Come here, my love.” The prospect of dancing a distant memory, Deceit conjured a plush settee before settling onto it. Roman reluctantly sat down next to them on it, curling slightly in on himself.

“Look, it’s— it’s fine. Forget I said anything.” Trying for another smile, Roman made a show of fixing his appearance, throwing back his shoulders and brushing a stray hair out of his face. “I love you, Dee,” he added, hoping desperately that they truly would forget what he’d said and pretend this conversation had never happened.

“I love you too, Roman,” Dee said gently, “but I can’t do that. I can’t just… _forget_ that you don’t think I love you unconditionally and without pretense. Because I _do,_ and nothing you have said or will say is going to change that.”

Roman shifted, his suit suddenly feeling suffocatingly tight.

“You’ve made me the luckiest person alive, and there’s no one who knows that better than I do. Roman, I love you, and you deserve that. The fact that you love me in return is all I need, and I know that you do; everything you’ve ever done for me proves that and then some. Now, what can I do to convince you of that?”

“I— I don’t know. I just— I can’t— I don’t believe that. I don’t know why. I’m sorry.”

Dee looked at him with a touch of melancholy in their gaze, but continued a moment later in an impossibly gentle tone. “That’s okay, love. Can I hold you?”

Roman nodded, relaxing into Deceit’s arms. “It feels like I’m— like I’m broken.” He felt himself shuddering slightly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

“Shh, none of that. You don’t need to be sorry for not knowing, and you don’t need to be sorry for feeling broken. I will do everything in my power to prove to you that you’re wrong though, and I will wait for however long it takes for you to understand that I am telling the truth when I say that I love you— _all_ of you, supposed flaws included—more than words give me the power to express.”

Roman felt a soft smile spreading over his face. “I don’t deser—” he cut himself off in the middle of the word before stretching up to press a kiss to Dee’s jaw, deciding instead on, “I love you.”

“Much better.” Dee returned the kiss, laying theirs softly on Roman’s forehead. “I promise we’ll talk more later, but for now,” they said, sweeping Roman off the settee and into their arms, “how about that dance?” 

The settee vanished with a wave of Roman’s hand as Deceit set him back on the ground. A very real smile spread across his face as he bowed over their hand, placing a kiss on it. “I’d be honored,” he replied.

**Author's Note:**

> translations for Roman’s nicknames in chronological order:  
>  _mi luz_ (Spanish): my light  
>  _mon rêve_ (French): my dream  
>  _mon cœur_ (French): my heart  
>  _dolcezza_ (Italian): sweetness  
>  _mi tesoro_ (Spanish): my treasure  
>  _mi sol_ (Spanish): my sun/sunshine  
>  _vida mía_ (Spanish): my life  
>  _ma fée_ (French): my fairy  
>  _mea columba_ (Latin): my dove  
>  _ocelle mi_ (Latin): my little gem/apple of my eye (literally: my little eye, but used by Roman poets to mean one of/something similar to the former)
> 
> comments will forever be appreciated  
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ratherstareyed) and [tumblr](https://ratherstarryeyed.tumblr.com/)
> 
> the [tumblr post](https://ratherstarryeyed.tumblr.com/post/614591799187652608/watching-the-sunrise-replace-the-moon), for all your reblogging needs


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